Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 71 - Prefects

This chapter warms my heart so much. Also thanks for reading :)

Al headed up to Regulus's room where she knew she'd find Remus and Sirius, Hogwarts letter and prefect badge still in her hand. When she went in, they were both pouring over separate sheets of parchment, but Sirius looked up and grinned at her. "There she is," he said, dropping the bit of parchment.

"Seriously, what the hell?" Al said, grinning back but continuously bewildered. "What kind of idiot-?"

"Snivellus," Sirius interrupted, "Sorry - Snape."

Al laughed, "That's a brilliant nickname," she said, "I might have to adopt it."

"Only if you want a detention," Remus warned her, gently placing down the notes sheet.

"Really, though?" Al said moving on, "Why have I been made a prefect?"

"Are you a model student?" Sirius mocked, and she aimed a kick at him before slumping down on the floor and staring at the badge.

"That's the thing - I'm just not. I frequently lose my temper, my grades are alright I guess, but no one looks up to me or anything," Al argued, "I'm just normal."

"I was a prefect," Remus said quietly, "And I'm not a git," he added before Sirius could say anything.

Al looked at him calculatingly, "Yeah, I can see that," she said, much to Sirius's amusement, "But you're nice. You're just a nice person."

"Thank you, Al," Remus said warmly.

"And I'm not! I'm a bit of a cow to be honest," Al said, becoming exasperated. Sirius laughed again and Remus looked at him warningly, but also smirking like he was trying not to laugh. What was going on?

"Remus," Al said, watching as he continued to try not to laugh, "Why are you laughing? Surely it's not because you think I'm a git - because then you'd be admitting that you're a git?"

Remus continued to smile, "It's nothing," he told her dismissively, "Just a joke from earlier."

"Dumbledore!" Al said suddenly. The laughter stopped, with only the occasional snicker from Sirius. "Dumbledore made me a prefect against Snape's recommendation - that's why you find it so funny!"

"Yes," Sirius wheezed, his eyes now watering with laughter, "He told us the other day when he came."

There was a sudden crack and the twins appeared in front of them. "Ahhhh!" Fred said mockingly.

"It's the ickle bitty prefect!" George continued with a grin.

"Argh!" Al shouted, "This is so infuriating! How did I fall for it?"

All teasing and laughter stopped. "What do you mean, Al?" Remus asked kindly and seriously.

"George," Al said, "You remember when Higgins attacked me after the ball last year?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he said uncertainly, not seeing where it was going.

"Wait, who attacked you?" Sirius asked, getting to his feet as if he was going to hunt them down himself.

"Just this guys Higgins," Al dismissed, "And I couldn't reach my wand, and I didn't know George was there, and all of a sudden there was this huge burst of energy, and a flash of white light, and Higgins flew back and bashed his head. I just dismissed it as accidental magic at the time..."

Al trailed off, looking around at the four captivated faces. "And then," Al continued, "Back in June, when You-Know-Who first...you know...well, he told me I was there because he wanted to show the Death Eaters true power. Again at the time I just dismissed it - I thought he was talking about himself.

"There was this one time while I was...there...that there were a couple of Death Eaters attacking me, and there was a flash of white light, and most of the people in the room fell to the floor. They were knocked over. But You-Know-Who...he was pleased. Told me well done. And then asked me to join him."

"So," Sirius said, looking concerned, "What are you saying?"

"I think Dumbledore's trying to win me over," Al explained, "First the duelling club, now this. I think both sides want this weird power that I've got all of a sudden. They'll probably want to train me up...use it." She glanced around, looking at the many furrowed brows, "I know it sounds stupid."

"No it doesn't," George said, "I think you're right. Otherwise You-Know-Who would've just killed you."

"Not sure why he didn't just Imperious you though," Fred added.

Al shook her head, "It doesn't work on me."

"Well there you go," Sirius said triumphantly, "You-Know-Who was trying to make you give in and join him. Brainwash you even."

"Do you want to learn to control it?" Remus asked quietly.

Al thought for a second. "No, I don't think so," she replied, "Not unless it could help us with...this.," she gestured at the paper on the floor.

Remus sighed, and stepped towards her, a sad and kind smile on his face. "Al, I want you to listen to what I'm about to say," he told her. Al, a little surprised at the sudden seriousness, nodded lightly. "You are an excellent role model," Remus said, holding her shoulders, "You care about others, you're a fantastic leader, and you're extremely bright and strong-minded. That is why Dumbledore made you a prefect. This power you're talking about; it will probably help Dumbledore, and he'll be more lenient towards you, sure. But it's not the reason he made you a prefect."

Al smiled a bit, comforted by Remus's words and his warm eyes. "Git," Fred and George said in unison from behind Remus, and Sirius was off again, rolling around on the floor, his sides aching in laughter. Al's face went hot as she grinned, but the embarrassment was worth it.

*****

The Hogwarts Express rolled away from platform nine-and-three-quarters, and Al levitated her trunk and Dill's cage along the aisle, looking in each compartment for her friends. She finally found them, peering inside and shocked at the daft bimbos inside.

Daphne was slumped against Theo's side, her eyes red and puffy as if she'd been crying. Theo looked tired and downtrodden and had his eyes closed. There was a book on his lap, as if he'd been trying to read it but couldn't focus. And Draco was looking out the window at the hills that rolled by, tears pouring down his pale face and his hair a chaotic mess.

Al pulled the door aside and stepped in, smiling kindly at the three faces that turned her way. Theo's eyes widened, Draco's jaw dropped and Daphne's mouth opened and closed like a fish, like she was trying to say something but couldn't.

And then Draco ploughed into her, knocking the air from her lungs and squeezing her tightly, and Daphne's arms were around her neck and crying, and Theo just looked at her, still gobsmacked, but grinning stupidly.

"You're...you're..." Theo tried to say.

"Alive!" Draco exclaimed gleefully.

"Well, I did write to you," Al reasoned, happier than ever to be reunited with her friends.

"We thought it was a joke!" Daphne sobbed, still not containing herself.

"I'm so glad to see you all," Al said, almost jumping up and down as she put her trunk away, "Who sent the curse?"

"Me," Theo said with a grin, "Did you like it?"

"Not really," Al said, "But it was cool."

"Aha!" Draco exclaimed, "We're prefects!" He eyed the badge on her robes. "Thank Merlin - I thought it was going to be Parkinson." The quartet laughed at that.

"Well, I'll explain everything later," Al said, "But we need to get to the prefect carriage." And Al and Draco left, chattering away as though they hadn't been away for anything more than a few days.